Echoes
by epilogue08
Summary: He wrote in quick, unhesitating strokes: 'I, Dojo Atsushi, will grant Kasahara Iku three wishes. I will put all my efforts into fulfilling these three wishes, regardless of the time, place, or the content of the wish.' "There, happy?" Dojo grumbled. She nodded. After re-reading it, he signed his name.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This is a story I'd written a while ago, and since I'm having trouble writing 'Incognito', I just took a short break and fixed up this story :) (But rest assured, I _will_ complete 'Incognito')_

_But in the mean time, I hope you enjoy reading~!_

_- epilogue08_

**Echoes**

**Summary:** _He wrote in quick, unhesitating strokes: 'I, Dojo Atsushi, will grant Kasahara Iku three wishes. I will put all my efforts into fulfilling these three wishes, regardless of the time, place, or the content of the wish.' "There, happy?" Dojo grumbled. She nodded. After re-reading it, he signed his name._

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Library wars.

**"Always remember to be happy because you **

**never know who's falling in love with your smile." **

_ - Author Unknown_

_'I will grant three wishes.'_

_In the middle of signing his name when her hand reached out and stopped him. "Wait. That's not specific enough."_

_He started to complain, but listened to her anyways. _

_On another clean sheet of paper, he wrote in quick, unhesitating strokes:_

_'I, Dojo Atsushi, will grant Kasahara Iku three wishes. I will put all my efforts into fulfilling these three wishes, regardless of the time, place, or the content of the wish.'_

_"There, happy?" Dojo grumbled. _

_She nodded in satisfaction._

_After re-reading it, he signed his name._

[] [] []

**Chapter 1:**

The smile never left Komaki's face as he listened to his best friend complain about their latest school activities.

"What kind of game _is_ this?", Dojo mumbled as they walked home after school. In his hand was the piece flyer that their homeroom teacher had given out to them, and it was printed with way too many colors for Dojo's taste.

Komaki laughed as he took it from Dojo. "This actually looks quite fun. It's just like Orikuchi-Sensei to come up with something like this."

Unable to understand their conversation, Iku stared blankly at them. "Uh…what? What are you guys talking about?"

Not the least surprised, Dojo sighed in exasperation and Komaki laughed before answering her. "The activity Sensei created for us. We talked about it in class, remember?" He glanced at her expression. "…Guess not. It's kind of similar to a Secret-Santa activity, except if you get found out, you have to grant the other person 3 wishes instead of getting them a present. I guess Sensei just wanted us to have a bit of fun before the holiday starts."

"Oh, I see." Iku took the paper from him, and started reading about it herself.

Dojo kept his eyes on the sidewalk and stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep warm. "Though I fail to see what this would accomplish. These sort of games are usually for elementary schools. Why must we high school students participate?"

In a show of pity and understanding, Komaki patted Dojo's back. "It's just for fun, Dojo. By the way, we're going to draw the names of the person we're buying a present for tomorrow." He swiftly glanced at Iku to make sure she wasn't listening, before turning back to Dojo and briefly showing his true colours with an evil smirk, whispering, "It would be interesting if you drew Kasahara-san's name, wouldn't it?"

"W-what?!" Dojo tensed up. "D-Don't be ridiculous! There's nothing _interesting_ about that! And the whole class is participating right? What are the chances?"

[] [] []

_"Just to make it clear," Dojo said as he looked at Iku seriously, "You can't wish for more wishes, and you can't wish for anything stupid, got it? I just want to make this clear; I'm not taking any risks."_

_As she folded up the paper, Iku frowned. "Fine, fine. I'm gonna hide this somewhere. Where should I put it?"_

_"Doesn't matter; anywhere is fine. Just don't lose it."_

[] [] []

_'What are the chances?'_

His own words from the day before echoed in his mind. Dojo hesitated for a split second before reaching into the box to draw out a name. _Relax. There's no way I would draw _her_ name of all people._

He carefully unfolded the piece of paper, and froze. Except for his eyes widening just slightly, his face remained expressionless and he showed no reaction. At the center of piece of paper, in neat writing, was the name 'Kasahara Iku'.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Komaki at his seat, covering his mouth with his hand to stop himself from laughing. _Unbelievable._

As he was about to return to his seat, deafening footsteps could be heard outside the classroom. Their teacher, Orikuchi-sensei, frowned as the P.E. teacher marched in, slamming the door open on his way. "_Good morning, class_!"

Several students greeted him back with a 'Good morning, Commander', or 'Morning, Sir!"

Orikuchi waved a hand to silent the class before turning her attention to the other teacher. "Genda-sensei! Stop interrupting the class! And the students should be calling you 'Sensei', not 'Commander'! We're in school, so please abide by the rules!"

The sound of Genda's laughter echoed through the hallway of the school as he placed both hands on his waist, showing off an air of confidence. "But 'Commander' suits me so much better!"

Unimpressed, Orikuchi rolled her eyes. Her patience with him had already run out. "We're in the middle of something here, so don't interrupt us! Kasahara! It's your turn. Come up to the front."

Iku took a deep breath, and reached into the box. _Please, please, pleeeease don't let it be someone I hate._ She unfolded the paper to see the name 'Tezuka Hikaru'.

"Aw, _seriously?_! Sensei, are we allowed to re-draw?!"

"Of course not!"

As Iku grumpily returned to her seat, Orikuchi called out the remaining students who had not yet drawn the names. She sat in her seat sulking silently and turned her glare towards Tezuka. _Jerk. Of all people, it had to be him._ Iku spent the remainder of the period moping, while Tezuka tried to act ignorant of her glares and sinister mumbling at the back of the class.

Orikuchi ended the class with a reminder about the activity. "A small present for your classmate would be great. But keep in mind, if they find out who it is, you have to grant them 3 wishes."

Dojo frowned even more; the thought of possibly having to grant Iku 3 wishes seemed to make him all the more depressed. As soon as most of their classmates left for lunch, Komaki made his way to Dojo's seat while trying to suppress his grin. "So…"

Dojo rested his head against his table and sighed. "Don't say _anything_. I don't even want to think about it."

"Come on, Dojo. It's not that bad." Contrary to his comforting words, Komaki chuckled at Dojo's misery. "Did you really pick her name though?"

Listening to someone laugh at his misfortune made him miserable all over again, but since he knew Komaki wouldn't stop bugging him until he got an answer, he reached into his pocket, a little unwillingly. "See for yourself." But as he clumsily grabbed the piece of paper, it slipped out of his hand.

"Oh, what's this?" Shibasaki snatched it up quickly and saw the name written on it before Dojo could even prepare himself for her reaction. A huge grin appeared on her face, and when Dojo saw the glint in her eye, he immediately knew that the situation would only go downhill. "W-Wait, Shibasaki-"

As if things couldn't get worse, Iku appeared from behind Shibasaki. "Shibasaki! Let's go get lunch…what are you looking at?"

Dojo made something similar to a choking sound, and Komaki put a hand on his shoulder, discreetly holding him back.

Shibasaki glanced at the expression on Dojo's face before answering her. "Kasahara, I just _happened_ to find this piece of paper with your name on it. It was on the ground beside Dojo's table, I believe." She pretended to gasp, and held her hand over her mouth. "Ah…I don't think I should be telling you this. So now I suppose…Dojo has to grant Kasahara 3 wishes, right?" She smiled innocently as he stood frozen at his desk.

Iku blinked in surprise. "Eh?! Dojo?! _This_ guy?" She rudely pointed at him, and Dojo had to step back to avoid getting stabbed in the eye.

"W-What's with that reaction?! It's not like I _want_ to do it! And knowing your personality, you're just gonna wish for something stupid, right?"

"Hey! Don't call me stupid! And are you honestly going to grant wishes with _that_ kind of attitude?"

Shibasaki smiled as they continued mercilessly throwing insults at each other. "This will be entertaining," she murmured, holding a hand up to her face as she observed the situation. Komaki seemed to have the same train of thoughts as he nodded in agreement.

The room went silent when Iku slammed her hand on the table in frustration. "Oh yeah?! What can _you _even accomplish, Dojo?" Standing up straight with her arms crossed, she glared at him, completely unaware of the fact that she was currently the center of attention.

Dojo looked like he had just been punched in the face. "I shouldn't be hearing this from _you_ of all people! Don't bring me down to your level! And frankly, I'm more worried for the person whose name you drew!"

"_Wh-what-?_ What's that supposed t-!"

"Don't worry, Dojo," Shibasaki interrupted, "Tezuka already told Kasahara not to do anything for him. He said he didn't want anything, nor does he want her to grant his wishes. Apparently he thinks she's just going to make everything worse." Off at the side, Komaki almost burst out laughing, but managed to hold it in. For a few seconds at least.

Iku gaped and her cheeks were flushed. "H-how did you know about that?"

"Kasahara, practically the entire class knows you got his name in the draw. You're such a simpleton; everyone can read you like a book."

Dojo smirked, having quickly recovered from the argument. "Hm. I don't blame him. Tezuka made a wise decision." He nodded in approval.

"Hey!" Iku scowled. "Even _I_ am capable of doing something right, once in a while." Desperate to get the attention off of her, she turned to Shibasaki. "A-Anyways, whose name did you get, Shibasaki?"

"Oh? Are you trying to discreetly change the topic, by any chance?" Her confident smirk made Iku feel like an idiot.

"O-Of course not! I was just asking!"

"Well, even if you're _curious_, I don't intend to disclose such a deep, dark secret. I don't want to have to be a slave to them and grant them 3 wishes."

Blinking at the way she interpreted this game, Iku decided not to ask. When she turned to Komaki, he answered the question before she had the chance to speak.

"That's a secret." Komaki said mysteriously. When they weren't looking, he turned his head to sneak a peek at a quiet girl packing up her things at the back of the classroom. Just as she glanced up, he turned away to pretend he was looking at something else. A tiny, but warm, smile appeared in his face when she quickly left the room with a deep blush reaching to her ears.

Crossing his arms and leaning against a desk, Dojo made a face at Iku's question. "Are you an idiot? There's a reason why this game is called _'Secret_ Santa.' Why don't you use your head a little more?"

Komaki snickered. "Dojo, I don't know if it's a good idea for you to lecture her. You're the one who has to grant her wishes remember?" He leaned towards him to whisper, "Aren't you going to ask her what she desires in life?"

After flinching at the way he worded it, Dojo sighed as he suddenly remembered his current situation. "_Fine_." He turned to face Iku, then looked away rudely.

"Kasahara, have you decided on them yet? The wishes…"

[] [] []

_"For the first wish, I want you to read this fairy tale novel, and tell me what you think about it. And second…I need help with homework."_

_Dojo looked at her in surprise. "That's it? I thought you would've come up with something impossible to accomplish."_

_She held up a hand and frowned. "Wait, I'm gonna change the 2nd one. I need help with homework for the rest of the year."_

_Dojo shrugged. "Easy enough."_

_"And you have to do it without complaining."_

_"That…would be impossible."_

_"Hey!" Iku glared at him. "Didn't you say you'll grant the wish no matter how hard it is?"_

_"I wrote 'I will put all my effort-'! It's different!"_

_"No, it's not! I spent a lot of time thinking about this, so you better do a good job!"_

_"'A lot of time'? How long is that? Twenty seconds?"_

_Iku crossed her arm and pouted naively. The two engaged in a long glaring contest before Dojo sighed and reluctantly gave up. He could never really win against her anyways. "Fine. What about the 3rd wish?"_

_Iku blinked in surprise._

[] [] []

"Uh, I'm not sure." She seemed a bit taken aback at the question. _I didn't think he'd actually be willing to do it._ "I-I need some time to think."

Dojo straightened out his uniform forcefully, as if he needed something to vent out his anger on. "Fine." He turned to Komaki, who was still chuckling every few seconds at his best friend. "Komaki, we're leaving."

Iku didn't react as they left the classroom.

[] [] []

The door slammed noisily as Iku nonchalantly threw off her shoes and tossed the keys on the table. "I'm home!"

"Iku, how many times should I have to remind you?! Don't slam the door!"

Her mother's words went in one ear and out the next as Iku grabbed a snack from the kitchen.

"And Iku!" Her mother's tone told her she was in trouble, again. "Go clean up your room! It's been getting really messy lately!"

"Okay, okay", Iku muttered incoherently. Conversations like these were common occurrences, so she barely paid attention. Once upstairs, she flung open her door to realize, for once, that her room _was_ incredibly disorganized. Muttering to herself, she threw down her bag and started cleaning up, though it seemed like it was doing more harm than good.

Laundry, both clean and dirty, went flying through the room as she attempted to pile them all together. All sorts of garbage were gathered together in a heap. When Iku's second oldest brother opened the door, he barely ducked in time to avoid a shoe.

"_Hey!_ Iku, what the hell was that for?!"

She didn't bother looking up at him to see if he was alright. "It wasn't on purpose!"

As she continued 'cleaning up', her brother dropped an old cardboard box on the floor. "Since you're cleaning, take this back! It's your own stuff; don't put it in my room!", he yelled before leaving.

Iku turned around and stared at the box in the middle of the room. _Is that even mine?_ Curiosity got the best of her, and soon she was forcing the box open and digging through the contents. Inside were a couple of picture books, which she remembered reading as a child. Deciding that she needed a break, she picked up a novel. But as soon as she sat down comfortably, a piece of paper slipped out of the book.

The smudged pencil marks and creases on the paper caught her attention. _What's this?_

[] [] []

"Dojo! Hey, Dojo!" Iku yelled outside her window, which faced the balcony outside Dojo's room in his house right next door. "Dojo!"

Her throat was almost sore by the time she heard the door to the balcony unlocking, and Dojo stepped out looking extremely annoyed and upset. "What?! Stop yelling! You're disturbing the whole neighbourhood!"

"You're yelling too!" She scowled and muttered, "Anger management problems."

But she interrupted him just as he was about to retort. "Anyways, I wanted to show you this." Taking care not to fall over, she leaned out her window to hand him the folded piece of paper.

As Dojo read it, his frown faded a little. "I remember this. We wrote it 5 or 6 years ago. I think we were about 12 at the time."

Iku smiled. "Doesn't it remind you of the Secret-Santa activity we're doing at school right now? With the 3 wishes and all."

"You're right. Oh, here, it says I already fulfilled two out of the three wishes." Dojo smirked. "And since I have to grant you 3 wishes right now, we'll count this too. Now I only owe you one."

"What?!" Iku tried to reach out and grab the piece of paper back, but Dojo held it away from her. "Hold on, that's not fair! This and that are two different things!"

"Nope. Too bad." Dojo was about to go back in his room, but paused. "Wait…you only used up two wishes? I thought…"

"Hm?" Iku tilted her head, looking confused. "I only used two. One for the book, and the other is helping me with homework. We even wrote it down."

The paper started crumpling when his grip tightened.

"Dojo?" He was facing away from her, so Iku couldn't see his expression. But something about the way he just tensed up…

"Huh?" He glanced back at her with an emotionless look and shrugged indifferently. "You have one last wish. Use it wisely." He quickly returned to his room.

"Hey, Dojo? We're not done talking yet! Dojo!"

[] [] []

_"Dojo!" Iku sounded out of breath as she caught up to him on the streets. "Um, did I do something to make you angry? Cause you seem to be ignoring me and-"_

_"I'm not." Dojo looked straight ahead as he walked faster. "I don't feel like talking to you."_

_"So you _are_ mad at me!" Iku grabbed his arm. "What did I do?! Stop ignoring me! Is it because I said I can't walk home with you after school? It's not my fault! The guy from the other class just wanted to talk to me about something!"_

_"W-What makes you think it's about that?" Dojo looked away so she wouldn't see the faint blush on his cheeks. "I have nothing against walking home alone, blockhead!"_

_"But I didn't go, otherwise, I wouldn't be here right now. So why are you angry?"_

_He seemed a bit surprised at the fact that she just ditched the other guy to follow him home. 'What did she think he was going to talk to her about?', he wondered. Looking at her, he realized she was more dense and idiotic than he thought. Shaking off her hand, he ran home, leaving her alone on the street._

_It had never occurred to him that this one naïve action would eventually lead to such a terrible accident._

_A few days later, Iku noticed that his balcony door was still closed, and the blinds that covered it gave her the feeling that she was unwelcomed. Standing in front of her window and seeing the closed door across from her gave her an incredibly lonely feeling._

_"Dojo! Dojo, are you there? Geez, it's been almost a week already! Stop ignoring me!" Iku pouted and rested her head on her arms, while looking out her window at Dojo's house. "Don't ignore me…", she sniffled, trying not to let the tears fall._

_An idea came to mind after she continued staring for a few more minutes. Iku grabbed a pen and quickly scribbled writing over a sticky note, then hurried to collect the other items…_

[] [] []

Dojo closed his balcony door and leaned against it, all the while staring at the piece of paper in his hand. He signed and closed his eyes. _So she doesn't remember after all._

Taking a deep breath, he slowly slid to the ground, and put his head in his hands. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel disappointed. _Disappointment…or hurt? Maybe both._


	2. Chapter 2

**"Sometimes it's just **

**enough to smile sincerely." **

_ - Mike Dolan_

**Chapter 2:**

As Dojo kept his eyes closed, the memories all came rushing back. Part him wanted to forget everything that happened, but at the same time, he knew it wouldn't erase his guilt.

[] [] []

_Dojo stepped through the entrance of his house and was greeted by his mother. _

_"Atsushi, you're late today. Did something happen?"_

_"I just stayed at school a little longer to finish up on a project."_

_"Oh…" His mother looked deep in thought. "Well, I noticed you haven't been walking home with Iku-chan lately, so…"_

_Dojo tensed up and mumbled a response before returning up to his room. Putting down his bag, he looked at the balcony door, which he hasn't opened in a week. For a split second, the urge to go outside was overwhelming. Somehow, not being able to argue with that blockhead through her window for an entire week made him feel a little lonely. _

_Just a little._

_He peeked through the blinds at Iku's window and noticed a plastic bag on the balcony. Dojo stared at it for a moment before sighing. 'Kasahara.'_

_He opened the door, quickly picked it up and stepped back into his room. Kneeling down on the ground, Dojo struggled to untie the knot on the bag for a moment, while mentally yelling at Iku for tying it so tightly._

_"W-what the heck…" He opened it to find a folded sticky note and a bag of candy. "…This must be from the stash of candy in her room…"_

_The only thing written on the sticky note was a bunch of messy scribbles, which took him several seconds to understand:_

_'For my 3rd and final wish, I want a smile. A real one, not one of those stupid fake smiles. If you don't, you're gonna get frown lines when you get older, idiot! Chibi!'_

_As Dojo re-read the note several times, he started to feel a little guilty. After all, it wasn't exactly her fault he was ignoring her. He quickly got up and flung open the door, only to see her curtains covering the window. "Kasahara. Kasahara!"_

_He was about to yell again, but a shout interrupted him._

_"Nii-chan!" It was his sister. The sound of her urgent footsteps told him she was on the way to his room. She burst in with a panicked expression, holding a phone in her hand. "Nii-chan! Iku-onee-chan got into an accident, and was sent to the hospital!"_

[] [] []

"Nii-chan!" His sister's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Nii-chan!" He heard her running up the stairs. "Iku-onee-chan-! She-!"

Dojo quickly stuffed the paper in his pocket and rushed out of his room, eyes wide with worry. "What happened?!"

"Ah, nii-chan! She's looking for you."

Dojo stared at her, feeling relieved for a moment, before smacking her lightly on the head. "You idiot! You could've just called me normally!" His sister pouted as she rubbed her head.

He went to meet Iku at the entrance. "What is it?"

Iku leaned her bicycle against his fence, and glared at him, muttering, "Stupid chibi."

"What did you say?!"

"Can I have that piece of paper back? You kinda took it with you before."

Dojo glared at her for a moment longer before reluctantly taking out the paper and handing it over to her. "What do you even need it for?"

"No reason. Anyways, I'm going to the bookstore." Iku smiled cheerfully all of a sudden. "The sequel to the fantasy novel I read a long time ago is being released today. Wanna go with me?"

"Che. No." Dojo frowned and turned around. "Idiotic blockhead."

Iku's smile was immediately replaced with a scowl. "You chibi! What was that?! You wanna fight?!" She started mumbling to herself. "I should just make a really difficult wish for you to fulfill."

Dojo's expression darkened as she turned and left.

[] [] []

_'I'm an idiot!' Dojo kept repeating the sentence in his head as he ran as quickly as he could to the hospital, forgetting that he was still clutching the sticky note in his hand. As soon as he arrived outside of the hospital room, Iku's big brothers rushed over to him. _

_"Dojo! Iku, Iku, she-" The youngest brother looked like he was having a nervous breakdown._

_Dai, the oldest, laid a hand on his shoulders and whispered, "Calm down", and turned to Dojo. The look in Dojo's eyes told him he was dying to know what happened._

_"Th-there was a fire in the library," Dai said, "a-and I think she was trapped in one of the rooms or something. It's probably because she fell asleep again while reading. " He took a deep breath before he continued, trying to ignore the disheartening expression Dojo was showing._

_"Some people think the fire was set by supporters of the MBC, and the smoke detectors were broken…we don't know much of the details, but the whole library was in total chaos, and nobody noticed Iku in the reading rooms until-" Dai throat tightened and he stopped talking._

_Dojo knelt over trying to catch his breath, and looking down, he could see his hands shaking uncontrollably and the walls seemed to be spinning. Forcing himself to breathe properly, he asked, "Is she going to be alright?"_

_The silence from her brothers was enough for him to know he wasn't going to like the answer._

_They all turned to see Iku's father approaching, and his face was dreadfully pale although he was trying not to show it. He placed a reassuring hand on Dojo's shoulder, but Dojo could feel it shaking slightly. "She doesn't have any serious burns, but the doctors say she hit the back of her head really hard," he whispered. "They're not sure-", he paused, "-when she'll wake up." _

_Dojo looked down at the note he was holding as if he had just realized he had it with him the whole time. "She'll be alright," he said quietly but firmly. _

_Although he sound convincing, there was still a part of him that doubted his own statement._

[] [] []

"Atsushi! Come downstairs for a moment!" Dojo jumped in his seat when his mother called for him.

Sighing, he pushed his hair out of his eyes. _Why was I thinking about that? _He glanced down, and in his hands he held the crumpled sticky note which Iku had messily scribbled on so many years ago. The writing was smudged and starting to fade out, but the memories remained as clear as if it'd just been yesterday.

_But it's in the past; there's no use thinking about it now. You can't change history, and you can't erase your own mistakes._

Before going downstairs, he paused in front of the garbage can, but sighed and turned back around to tuck it away safely again.

[] [] []

_The darkness was swirling around him, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't breathe. But that wasn't his priority; he had something else he needed to do, something more important._

_But what was it again?_

_The air thickened, and the silence was deafening. When he tried to yell, no sound would come out, until he heard a small echo. _

_"Dojo!"_

_He froze immediately. Kasahara?_

_The fire lit up again, and his determination returned. He had to get to her quickly, before the darkness swallowed everything up. Her slightly panicked voice was getting weaker, but he could still tell the direction it came from. He tried to take a step forward, but it felt like something was holding him back, and he fell forward on his knees. Ahead of him, the echoes disappeared and it felt like she was no longer there. _

_Kasahara! Getting up and desperately pushing forward, he ignored the burning ache in his legs, but he fell again. She was gone. Kasahara!_

_"Kasahara!" Dojo sat up, sweating and shaking uncontrollably, gripping the blankets tightly as he tried to take deep breaths. The sweat rolled down the side of his forehead. After turning on the lamp, he clutched his head in his hands and sighed._

_'It's been a month,' Dojo thought. A month since Iku had gotten into the accident and went into a coma. His eyes widened in surprise when he felt several drops of tears fall from his eyes, darkening the spots on the blanket where they fell. _

_The door creaked as it slowly opened. "Atsushi?" It was his mother._

_Dojo quickly rubbed off the tears with his sleeve, but not before his mother noticed. Pulling his blanket, he laid down and hid his head under the pillow, pretending to go back to sleep. His mother tip-toed next to his bed and sat down on the edge, gently putting a hand on his shoulder. "Atsushi, are you okay?"_

_"Yeah. I just had a nightmare. It's no big deal." He struggled to keep his voice steady, but he knew his mother would see through his lies anyway._

_Silence followed, and he listened for any sounds of movement. After a long while, he heard her whisper, "Iku-chan will be alright."_

_"I-I know that. I'm not worried or anything. S-she's an idiot anyway." Despite his reluctance to cry, he felt more tears roll down the side of his cheeks._

_In a move to comfort him, his mother gently patted his shoulder. "Alright…good night, then." Halfway out of the room, she heard him whisper, "It's all my fault."_

_She turned to look at her son again. "Atsushi?"_

_She could see him shaking slightly under the blanket as she returned to his side. _

_"It's my fault. That's she's in the hospital."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"We-", he swallowed and rubbed his eyes with his blanket again, still hiding under the pillow. "I got angry at her. About something stupid. So I stopped walking home with her." Her hand patted his shoulder gently again, silently encouraging him to continue. "That day, if I'd gone with her to the library, she wouldn't have gotten hurt."_

_There was another pause. "Usually, _I'm _the one who wakes her up whenever she falls asleep in the library. That's how it'd always been. I-If I'd gone with her like usual, I could've protected her. She wouldn't have gotten hurt…it's my fault."_

[] [] []

_It was a few days later that Iku finally woke up, to the relief of her family as well as Dojo's family. _

_As soon as he heard the news, he rushed to the hospital, skipping class for the first time in his life._

_"Ah, Dojo!" Iku smiled cheerfully when she saw him arrive._

_For a moment, he stared at her in amazement, hardly believing that she was finally awake, and with no long-lasting injuries. "Y-You blockhead!" Dojo leaned against the wall, almost collapsing from relief. _

_"Wha-_that's_ the first thing you say to me?! _

_"A-and, what's with your way of telling me that 3rd wish? Seriously-!" The past month of constant worrying and guilt had left him so confused, he didn't even know what he was saying anymore._

_"…Huh? What are you talking about?"_

_Dojo made a face as he sat down on the ground. "The 3rd wish…the three wishes I had to grant you, remember? You threw that plastic bag with the…" His voice trailed off when he realized she had no idea what he was talking about._

_Time seemed to stop for a moment when he recalled the doctor's words: 'Kasahara Iku received a head injury, so any losses of memory wouldn't be surprising.'_

_"Kasahara…you…" He made a pained expression before he looked away. "No. Never mind. I-I-it's nothing important." His fist tightened around the piece of paper and he put it back in his pocket. "You still have one wish. Use it wisely."_

[] [] []

Dojo's scowl deepened as he walked through the streets. Recalling the past events always made him depressed. The fact that he could remember everything that happened that time, while she had absolutely no clue what was going on…

"Dojo?"

He turned around and saw Komaki. "Ah…"

Komaki noticed the troubled expression on his best friend's face. "Something wrong?"

Dojo stubbornly turned away. "Of course not."

"What did Kasahara-san do this time?"

"W-what makes you think _she_ has anything to do with it?!"

"You're only this angry when it comes to Kasahara-san." He smiled as he made fun of him again. "A little overprotective, don't you think?"

Dojo glanced at his watch as he pretended to be in a hurry. "Komaki, my mom sent me to buy groceries, so if you'll excuse me-"

A group of white vans with darkened windows caught his attention as they drove past them. He frowned. _Might be the MBC; they're the only ones who'd drive around with such suspicious-looking vehicles. If it is, the bookstore owner's gonna have another breakdown soon…_

Dojo paused as he realized the vans were indeed heading towards the local bookstore. _The bookstore…Kasahara!_

Without a word to Komaki, he left, running as fast as he could.

"Wait, Dojo?!"

For some reason, Dojo was getting a dreadful feeling. _The last time she got hurt, it was because of the supporters of the MBC. If she's at the bookstore right now, she better not do anything stupid!_


	3. Chapter 3

**"Wear a smile and have friends; **

**wear a scowl and have wrinkles."**

_- George Eliot_

**Chapter 3:**

The first person Iku saw when she entered the bookstore was a girl wearing the uniform from her school.

"Ah, Marie-chan?" The girl turned her head to face Iku, who smiled in relief that it was indeed her classmate, and not some random stranger.

"Kasahara-san," Marie spoke quietly as she nodded her head and smiled. In her hands, she held a book titled 'Small Gift Ideas".

"Ah, that's for the secret Santa, right? Have you thought of any ideas for presents yet?"

Shaking her head gently, a troubled expression appeared on her delicate features. "I'm not sure yet. I'm debating between several gifts, but I'm not sure if he'll like it." She blushed as she flipped to a page in the beginning. "I was wondering if I should get him a scarf, since Ko-, uh, I mean, he always seemed _cold_ whenever we went outside, so…"

Iku smiled; it was just like Marie to be so careful and thoughtful in everything. She reached for another copy of the same book, before remembering why she came in the first place. "Ah, I almost forgot! The latest book of one of my favorite series is on sale now! Marie-chan, I'll be right back."

Excitedly picking up the novel she wanted, she inspected it to make sure it was spotless, and went back to where Marie was standing.

A sudden commotion was heard at the entrance of the bookstore, and everyone turned their heads to see what was happening. Iku almost swore when she realized there were MBC agents barging through the entrance.

_No! Why now?! I need to buy the book first!_ She wrapped her hands protectively around the novel. _This story has some pretty violent scenes; they're probably going to collect this too!_

Hiding the book in her jacket, she turned to Marie, who was frozen in fear. MBC raids weren't common where they lived, after all.

Iku intended to tell Marie to step back to the side so they wouldn't be in the way of the MBC agents, but one of them grabbed her arm roughly. "What are you hiding?!"

The novel she was hiding fell on the ground, and he grabbed it before she even realized what was happening.

"Hey! Give that back!"

Marie quickly grabbed Iku's arm to stop her. "Kasahara-san! Stop it, you'll get in trouble! Don't fight back," she whispered hastily.

"B-But the book-!" Ignoring her friend's advice, she tried to reach for it, and the MBC agent shoved her back.

"What the hell are you doing?! You want to be arrested for shoplifting?!"

"I wasn't shoplifting!" She retorted out of reflex, holding her arm where she had bumped into a shelf. "I'm just protecting that book from these meaningless censorship raids tha-"

"_Kasahara_!"

After hearing Dojo's voice, Iku felt him suddenly cover her mouth with his hand. _Wh-when did _he_ get here?!_

Wrapping an arm around her waist, he prevented her from fighting back. "Don't be stupid, Kasahara," he muttered fiercely. "They'll actually call the police to arrest you if you fight back."

If it weren't for the last remaining bit of common sense she had, she would've turned and snarled at him something along the lines of_-"Leave me alone! This is between me and them!"-_ but out of the corner of eye, she noticed his expression. It was the look of disgust. And fury.

Slowly losing her motivation, Iku stopped struggling.

As the MBC agents continued hurling the books in the containers, they could only stand and watch.

Komaki, who had followed Dojo, reached out and grabbed Marie, pulling her close. Other customers and staff members stood back in uneasiness.

The distressing atmosphere continued to linger over them after the MBC packed up and left, leaving the bookstore a mess. Iku could feel her eyes filling up with tears.

_The books; I couldn't protect them._

After an uncomfortable silence, Dojo let go of Iku and left the store; Komaki followed afterwards, one hand gently pulling a still-frozen Marie along, and the other hand dragging Iku out.

It was only a while afterwards that Iku realized nobody was saying anything in the fear of making Dojo snap. His tensed up shoulders, the shape of hands curled up into fists in his pockets…Iku gulped when he suddenly stopped.

Sensing a fight about to erupt, Komaki called out to Dojo. "I'm going to bring Nakazawa-san home first, alright?" When Dojo nodded slightly, Komaki turned to Iku, "Kasahara-san, I'll see you later." Grabbing hold of Marie by the hand, he left quickly, leaving Dojo and Iku alone.

Iku stared at their retreating figures, feeling a little disappointed. If they'd stayed behind, they could've helped her calm Dojo down. She took a deep breath and mentally prepared for another long lecture. But to her surprise, Dojo didn't say a word.

He was walking away very quickly again, and she almost had to jog to catch up to him. "Dojo!" His strides widened and his speed increased. "Dojo. Hey!"

It was clear that he was giving her the silent treatment. She frowned. _I think this is the first time he's ignoring me instead of yelling at me._

"D-Dojo! Don't ignore me!"

_'Stop ignoring me!' _The desperate yells of a 12-year old Iku rang in his ears. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind.

She was right behind him when Dojo stopped abruptly and turned to face her, forcing her to step back from the close distance between them.

Closing his eyes, he spoke with his jaw clenched. "_I'm_ the idiot?"

"…Well…" She shrank back from his glare.

"Who was the one who just rushed into a fight with the MBC?! Who was the one that almost got charged with shoplifting?!" Seeing the anger in his eyes, Iku flinched. "What the _hell_ were you thinking?!"

"I-I wasn't-!"

"Do you have a death wish or something?!"

"What?! Bookstores aren't a military zone! They can't just take out their weapons here!"

"The MBC aren't known for following all their stupid rules! You already got hurt once because of them! You want something like that to happen again?!"

Iku frowned at his retort. _What is he _talking_ about?! _The urge to scream back was overwhelming, but she paused for a second when she saw the look in his eyes. _He's…really worried._

"I-I'm…" Although Dojo was constantly scolding her for her actions, he had never been as infuriated as he is now. "I'm sorry…", she whispered.

Ignoring her apology, he turned around and walked away, and Iku knew he wasn't going to forgive her anytime soon. "D-Dojo, wait!" She grabbed his arm, trying to make him look at her, but felt completely frustrated when he wouldn't look her in the eye.

"I…" Iku took a deep breath, and her grip on his sweater tightened until her knuckles were white. "I'm gonna make my 3rd wish right now! I want-"

Dojo glared at the ground fiercely as she hesitated-something that was very out of character for her.

"I want Dojo to give me a smile."

_What?_

Iku fought to keep the blush off her face as she continued. "A smile; that's all. I'm not going to ask for something impossible or something ridiculous."

He stared at her for what felt like hours before he responded. "Are you stupid?! You only have one wish, you know! Y-you could have wished for something better! Don't just waste this opportunity!"

"It doesn't matter if you think it's a waste! You promised! You said you'd do your best to fulfil each wish!"

She rummaged through her bag looking for the piece of paper she had threw in when she got it back from Dojo. Holding it in front of him, she pointed at the slightly faded out words. "Here! You wrote, 'I will put all my efforts into fulfilling these three wishes, regardless of the time, place, or the content of the wish.' See?! This is your own handwriting, so don't go back on your promise!"

Deliberately looking away from it, he crossed his arms. Dojo didn't bother reading it, since he already knew what it said. And if he looked in that direction, he'd probably see her crying anyway. For some reason, that thought pained him.

But right now, he couldn't help but to yell back at her. "Didn't you say the last wish is always the most important?! Didn't you say you wanted to save it?!"

She blinked. _When did I ever say that?_

Dojo left her alone on the street with tears threatening to spill over, and with a strange pain in her chest.

[] [] []

Nakazawa Marie slid opened the door of the classroom, and after making sure there was no one around, she quickly stepped inside. She walked over to the table where Komaki usually sits during class. Kneeling down, she checked inside the desk to sure there was enough space to put the present. _I hope he won't mind if I rearrange some things in his desk._

She reached inside, but froze immediately when she heard voices on the other side of the door.

"Komaki!"

_That's Kasahara-san's voice! _Marie thought, still frozen on the ground. _And Komaki-san is here too?!_

"Ah, Kasahara-san, it's rare to see you here so early in the morning."

Hearing Komaki's reply, Marie gulped. _What if they come in the classroom?_

Iku gave an embarrassed laugh. "I'm here for detention because I forgot to do my homework the other day. Why are you here so early, Komaki? Ah, is that a Secret-Santa present?"

She took a closer look. "'Nakazawa-san'", she read. "Oh, it's for Marie-chan, right?"

A light blush appeared on Marie's cheeks. _N-no way. Komaki-san and I drew each other's name?_

Komaki laughed. "That's right. But please keep it a secret, Kasahara-san."

"R-right."

Komaki opened the door of the classroom, and froze. Marie, who was still kneeling in front of Komaki's desk, was in a similar state. Neither of them moved until Komaki finally gave a small smile.

"I didn't think I'd get found out so quickly."

Iku blinked, looking confused. "Wait…Marie-chan is Komaki's secret Santa? So does that mean you guys have to grant each other's wishes now?"

They both looked at her thoughtfully and Komaki smiled. "Well…"

"Ah!" Iku looked at her watch. "I forgot! I'm late for detention! Sorry, I'll see you guys later!" She rushed out, nearly running into the door on her way. Marie blushed and hid her face behind the desk when she realized she was alone with Komaki.

"Nakazawa-san? Are you alright?"

She peeked up at him, and spoke in a shy and quiet manner. "Um, yeah. A-Ah, I m-moved some of your things so I could put your present inside. Sorry!"

Komaki smiled gently at the timid girl, who was still blushing uncontrollably and staring at the ground. "That's alright; it's not a big deal. Well then…do you have any wishes you'd like me to grant, Nakazawa-san?"

"E-Eh?" Marie looked up in surprise. "But you also saw me putting your present in your desk…" She gripped her clothes nervously and looked down to avoid eye contact. "…so I think I should also grant Komaki-san's wishes…"

"Oh, it's alright, I can't have you go into the trouble-"

"I-It's fine!" She fidgeted and mumbled, "I don't mind."

They settled on the solution quite quickly, and the conversation moved on to other topics. Marie quickly got over her embarrassment of being caught with the present, and smiled brightly at the chance to have a chat with Komaki. Until Shibasaki and Tezuka showed up.

Tezuka strolled into the classroom and nodded a greeting to them. Behind him, Shibasaki was staring in curiosity at the presents they were holding. "Oh, are those your secret Santa presents for each other?"

A flushed expression appeared on Marie's face, and Komaki smiled enigmatically. "That's a secret." The answer to her question was obvious.

When the sound of the door creaking caught their attention, they all turned, only to see Iku slowly walking in, holding a stack of what seemed like detention homework. With a dark atmosphere around her, she turned to her friend. "Shibasakiiii…"

Paying absolutely no attention to her, Shibasaki smiled brilliantly and gave Tezuka a meaningful glance. "By the way, Tezuka, instead of getting me a present, is it alright if I just take the 3 wishes?"

Iku pouted. "Don't ignore me!"

Tezuka stared at Shibasaki. "W-wh-" He cleared his throat. "I-I mean, how did you know?"

"It's only natural for everyone to wonder who their secret Santa is, and since I'm very good at observing, it really shouldn't be that surprising. I knew the moment you drew my name."

Shibasaki's confident answer seemed to make Tezuka uncomfortable as he tried to keep a poker face, which she saw through immediately.

Having quickly recovered, Iku grinned at him and started teasing. "You better prepare yourself, Tezuka. She's gonna come up with impossible tasks for you to complete. Either that, or make you buy expensive lunches for her.".

Tezuka glared at her. "That's easy for you to say! You don't even have to grant 3 wishes at all."

"W-what?!" Iku slammed the stack of homework on her desk. "_You _were the one that told me not to! Why does it sound like you're putting the blame on me?!"

"Oh, good morning, Dojo."

Iku stopped in the middle of the argument when she heard Komaki. Just as she turned around, Dojo brushed past her on his way to his seat, and the atmosphere suddenly grew tense.

"Um, D-Dojo?" Iku stared at his back, hoping he'd turn around. He didn't respond.

[] [] []

_"Hey, Dojo." Iku stared at him. "Why are you frowning?"_

_"I'm not. This is the expression I usually make."_

_Sitting in the hospital bed, she watched him carefully. He was definitely frowning more than usual._

_"Hey, Dojo."_

_"What?!"_

_"You know…I think you'd make more friends if you smiled more."_

_He glared at her. "Y-You-!"_

_"And over here, there's a quote that says," she pointed at the book she was reading, "'It takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three to frown.' You're wasting useless energy, Dojo."_

_The ticking of the clock was relatively loud in the silence. _

_"Kasahara…what the heck are you reading?"_

_"What? I can read whatever I want!"_

_"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he muttered. After a short silence, he spoke again. "Hey, Kasahara…why, why did you want me to-" Dojo hesitated, wondering how he should word the question. It's not like he himself understood what he was trying to ask anyway. _

_'It's probably getter to just casually mention it,' he decided._

_He cleared his throat. "Kasahara, what about that 3rd wish of yours? Aren't you going to use it?"_

_"Well, no." She glanced up at him with an insanely naïve expression. "I mean, the 3rd wish is the last one, so I'd save it for something really, really important to me. I won't use it unless I have to." She smiled. "I think I've always been like that; saving the best for last."_

_His chest was hurting again-because of the guilt? It was, after all, his fault she was here in the hospital in the first place. No, it's more painful this time. But why-? _

_Dojo didn't reply to her._

_Noticing his blank stare, Iku scratched her head awkwardly. "…What? D-Did I say something?"_

_"…No, nothing." _

_"Dojo, are you alright? You look like you're upset-"_

_He got up abruptly. "I'm going to go get a drink. I'll be back later."_

[] [] []

The chair creaked a little when Dojo leaned back heavily, for once unable to concentrate on his homework. He can't bring himself to admit it, but the thoughts of Kasahara and the memories of what happened in the past was distracting him to the point of insanity.

He let his head drop, hitting the desk forcefully as he reflected on his actions.

_Again. I'm making the same stupid mistake, again. Five years ago, I gave her the silent treatment, and because of that, I didn't go to the library with her. Then she got injured in the fire. _

_That was all my fault. And she doesn't even remember anything. _Dojo took a deep breath and let it out. _But who told her to pick a fight with the MBC?! That blockhead-! _

He closed his eyes as he reprimanded himself again. _But if she'd gotten hurt, that'll be my fault again. Sure, she's a high schooler, old enough to take care of herself, but with that troublesome personality…_

_If I hadn't noticed the MBC vans-_ He shuddered slightly at the thought.

The sound of heavy impact in his balcony door interrupted his thoughts.

He jumped in his seat and swore when he accidentally knocked over his drink. Ignoring the liquid that was about to drip from the desk onto the carpet, he violently opened the door, ready to yell at Kasahara. Whenever something like this happened, it was usually her doing.

He was right. Just as the door opened, her curtains drew closed, covering the view of her room.

"That stupid blockhead, what did she do now?", he muttered.

In front of his feet was a crumpled piece of paper. Dojo frowned. How could paper make such a loud noise? As soon as he picked it up, he knew.

"_Kasahara_! Are you insane?! Don't throw such a heavy _rock_ at my window! What if it broke?!" He got no reply. Muttering to himself, he unwrapped the paper from the rock, and noticed messy handwriting on it.

On the piece of paper, were the words:

_'Dojo! You stupid idiot! I was serious about that last wish, so don't go back on your promise! IDIOT! If you're that angry, then I'll grant you-'_

The words '3 wishes' were crossed out. Underneath it, the words '1 wish in return' completed the sentence. Dojo frowned at her 'oh-so-generous' statement.

At the bottom of the note were more insults, but they were written so messily Dojo could only pick out a few words; among them were 'chibi', 'hideous', and 'anger management'.

_Ka-Kasahara. How dare you-_

Lifting up his head, he noticed Iku peeking out at him. As soon as his glare met her nervous gaze, she quickly ducked out of sight, like a child hiding from an adult who was angry at them. Or a schoolgirl who couldn't help but peek as their crush read the love letter that they'd placed in their locker.

But the message on the paper was hardly love letter material.

After re-reading the note, he smiled warily.


	4. Chapter 4

**"A smile confuses an approaching frown."**

_- Author Unknown_

**Chapter 4:**

As soon as Dojo walked out his front door, Iku observed his facial expression from where she was hiding behind the tree. _Hm…he doesn't seem like he's in a bad mood…is he still angry?_

After tossing that note in his balcony the night before, she couldn't help but wonder how he'd react the next day. _Maybe I shouldn't have put so many insults…but it's _his_ fault for not accepting my apology when I was so sincere._

_At least I gave him a chance to have one wish granted…speaking of which, I wonder who Dojo's secret Santa is…_

"Kasahara, what are you doing?" Dojo gave her a suspicious glance when he noticed her school bag sticking out between the branches.

"D-D-Dojo!" She looked away awkwardly when they had eye contact. "Uh…n-nothing, hehheh," she stuttered, fidgeting slightly while inching away from the trees.

"Huh." Dojo smiled. Iku's actions and thoughts were so predictable, and she really couldn't lie even if her life depended on it. It was one of the things about her that Dojo always find frustrating, yet amusing at the same time.

His smile vanished when he realized she was staring at him. "…Kasahara?"

For some reason, she couldn't look away; some strange force seemed to have taken over her body. "It…it would be nice you smiled like that every day." She didn't realize what she had just blurted out until she noticed Dojo's expression.

"I-I-I mean-, um." Iku stuttered, and almost bit her tongue as she tried to come up with something to say. "Uh, I didn't-" _Ugh, Iku, you idiot! Stop saying such embarrassing stuff! _

Dojo sighed, and his lips curled into another tiny smile as he gazed up at her. "Kasahara, you…you really haven't changed at all over the years."

"Um, what?" Iku stared at him in confusion. She had expected him to yell at her, scold her, or smack her on the head. His reaction was shocking. She blinked a couple more times, before she realized what he had just said. "Wait. What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying I haven't grown up at all?! That I'm still as childish as ever?!"

"Oh, so you realized."

"Dojo…"

"I'm just joking. I wasn't talking about that."

"Huh? Then what did you mean when you said I haven't changed?"

The words were stuck in his throat, and he hesitated as a light blush appeared on his cheeks. "No. N-Never mind."

"What? You were about to say something, right? Tell me!"

"I just said nevermind!" He scowled as he turned away. "If we don't leave this second, we're gonna be late!" Quickly grabbing her hand, he set off at a fast pace. "The _last_ thing I need is detention-with _you_."

Under normal circumstances, the first thing Iku would do is to insult him back. But she couldn't say anything, not when he was holding her hand like that. _Cheater._

The silence was a bit unsettling, so Iku desperately thought up ways to start a conversation, which was strange, since before this, she'd never have trouble talking to him.

"Oh, yeah. Dojo," she said, as casually as possible. "I said I was gonna grant you a wish, didn't I? Have you decided on it yet?"

Dojo smirked. "Well, since I only have one wish, I'm saving it for another time."

"Ehh?! But don't you have any wishes? One that you really want to be granted?"

He kept his head facing forward so she wouldn't see the blush that threatening to spread over his cheeks. "Yeah." He tightened his hand around hers. "But that wish…I'm gonna grant it myself."

"Oh…" Iku was silent for a moment as she thought over it. "Hey, Dojo…"

"Hm?"

"Uh-, no. Nothing." She grinned brightly when he gave her a strange look._ If I mention the fact that he's still holding my hand, he's probably going to let go._

[] [] []

_"Dojo, are you angry at me?" Iku asked as soon as she went into his house._

_He gave her a weird look. "No, why would you think that?"_

_"Cause I noticed," she glanced down at her hands, "that you always seem to be frowning more when you're with me."_

_He laughed slightly at her overly miserable expression. "That's probably subconscious. I didn't even notice."_

_She didn't pay attention to his reply, which was probably meant to be an insult to get her angry again. Instead, her attention was focused on his expression. "There! That's the smile you should be giving!"_

_He blinked._

_"A-ah! No, wait-that's not what I meant!" She yelled again, when she came to her senses. A blush appeared, and she willed it to go away._

_Dojo sighed, but the corner of his lips curled up in a lopsided smile. "You really should get rid of that habit of yours."_

_"…what habit?"_

_"The one where you randomly blurt out things without thinking."_

_"T-Th-that's hard to change!" The blush deepened again._

_"…but I guess it can be a good thing sometimes," he muttered quietly to himself. His cheeks got a bit warm when he recalled what she'd just said._

[] [] []

Marie walked quickly past the stores on the side of the street on the way the school, paying no attention to anyone else around. This was a habit she'd developed around a month ago, when one of the store owners tried to hit on her. The middle aged man scared her, but she didn't want to show any fear.

There were other detours to the school, but the streets were dark and empty during the wintertime, so she couldn't consider that option. Sometimes, if she were lucky, she'd bump into friends on the way, and they'd all walk together. Other times she'd leave the house a bit early, before the store even opened.

But last night, she'd forgotten to set her alarm clock, so she woke up much later than usual. The morning bell would ring in a few minutes, so no other students were around. Up ahead, she could see the store the man owned, and subconsciously tightened her hands around her bag, trying not to break into a sprint. Her heartbeat accelerated, and her heart almost stopped as the man stepped out of the store in front of her.

"Ah, Marie-chan!"

Marie bit her lip as she felt her bravery diminish. At the short distance between, she felt sickened at his creepy smile, and the way he looked at her disgusted her. How did he even know her name anyways?

The man grinned and reached a hand towards her as she took a timid step back. "What's wrong, Marie-chan?"

She took another two steps back this time, and bumped into someone. Marie gasped in shock, and turned around quickly.

"Nakazawa-san?"

It was Komaki. But to Marie, it was like a prince had shown up just when she needed help.

"K-Ko-Komaki-san!" She quickly hid behind him.

The store owner made a disgruntled sound at the interruption and grumbled, "Who're you?" He took a step, intending to go around him, but Komaki stood still, blocking him from Marie.

Under Komaki's glare, he froze up completely.

"I'm sorry, is there something you need from my girlfriend?" Even though Komaki was smiling, the look in his eyes was more than enough to scare him away, not to mention the tone of his voice.

"Uh-no, no it's nothing." He glanced creepily at Marie before scurrying away into his store.

Komaki frowned in confusion and turned to look at the girl behind him. "Nakazawa-san? Is everything alright-"

Marie had her arms crossed, shaking slightly, but Komaki couldn't see her expression. She swallowed as she quickly turned away. "I-I'm fine."

Neither of them said a word, but Komaki wanted to know what was going on. "Nakazawa-san, I hope you'll forgive me for that little lie just now." He was referring what he had told the store owner about Marie being his girlfriend.

"O-Oh, you helped me just now," she said, feeling a lot calmer now. "I should be thanking you instead, Komaki-san!"

"Don't worry about it." He smiled at her pure and honest personality. "Uh…forgive me for asking, but how long has this been going on?"

The question threw her off guard, although she should've expected it. She took a moment to calm herself down first. "A-About a month…"

He glanced at her, surprised. "That long? Why didn't you tell anyone about it?"

"I, uh, I don-I just started coming to school earlier, so it wasn't a problem."

Frowning slightly, he understood that she didn't want to cause trouble for anyone, but he couldn't just stand back and watch. "Nakazawa-san, how about this? Instead of waking up so early every morning, we can meet up at the intersection leading to the school, so we can walk together."

"E-eh?! But that would cause a lot of trouble for you."

"I have three wishes to grant you, remember? This can be counted as your first wish," he insisted.

Marie smiled at the thought of being able to walk to school with him, even though it would only be a few minutes every morning, and nodded gratefully.

Satisfied now that they'd come to a consensus, Komaki smiled warmly as they continued on their way, but they both froze at the same time when they both looked across the street. Ahead of them, they could see two people, a somewhat short boy, and a taller girl, both wearing uniforms from their school. What shocked them isn't the just fact that they were holding hands…

Marie stared in confusion. "Um…Komaki-san, is that Dojo-san and Kasahara-san? Or am I just…imagining things?" From what she knew of her classmates, she wouldn't expect them to have such a close relationship.

When Komaki didn't answer immediately, she looked up at him. "Komaki-san?"

One of his hands were covering his mouth, as if he was trying to stop himself from laughing.

[] [] []

"Since you have one wish that will be granted, why don't you ask her to be your girlfriend?"

Dojo nearly spat out his drink at Shibasaki's straight-forward question as she approached his desk. "W-w-what?!"

The seat in front of his was empty, so she gracefully sat down before replying. "Don't act clueless, you know what I'm talking about."

"That's…If I wanted to date someone, I would want them to do it willingly; not because they owe me a favor or something." Dojo's expression turned from surprise to serious to embarrassed quickly. "A-anyways, I'm saying _if_ I were to date someone. And Kasahara's pretty clueless about these things in any case, so…"

"Oh? Nobody said anything about Kasahara." Shibasaki smiled innocently.

"Y-You-" Dojo glared at her. "But you mentioned the wish, so who else would you be talking about!?"

"Nevermind about that." She waved her hand as she moved on to her next thought. "You know you just indirectly admitted that you want to date her, right?"

As he started mentally reprimanding himself for not keeping quiet, he let his head drop on the table, and Komaki suddenly appeared from behind him. "Actually, Shibasaki-san, if I'm not mistaken, Dojo and Kasahara-san are _already_ going out." Dojo froze in his seat as Shibasaki questioned Komaki further. Komaki chuckled a little as he answered, "This morning, on the way to school, I saw-"

Dojo slammed his hand on the table, grabbed Komaki and forcefully dragged him out of the classroom before he could say anything more. When they were outside the school, Dojo looked around to make sure no one could hear. Komaki burst into laughter at his discomfited expression.

"What's so funny?!"

"I-I'm sorry, Dojo." The smile he gave was angelic, but there was no mistaking the glint of evil in his eyes. "It's just that…you didn't tell me that you and Kasahara-san…"

"It's not like that! You're misunderstanding something!"

"Really? Then what was that I saw this morning?"

"T-That was, uh, her wrist! I was holding her wrist, not her hand!"

Komaki gave a disbelieving look, then sighed in slight disappointment. "So you and Kasahara-san aren't going out?"

"O-Of course not! Don't be ridiculous!"

"How am I being ridiculous? You just admitted in front of Shibasaki-san that-"

"Shut up!" At this point, Dojo was starting to sweat in nervousness.

"Hm." Komaki crossed his arm, and Dojo was starting to get the feeling that he'd be interrogated for quite a while. "So, why don't you ask her out?"

"W-wha-t-this is _Kasahara_ we're talking about!"

"That's right," Komaki nodded. "If it were someone else, this conversation would be a little different, or maybe it wouldn't exist at all."

Dojo glared at him, knowing Komaki wouldn't let him go until he got all the answers he wanted. _With his carefree attitude, you'd never think he'd be this good at putting pressure on people._

"I…I'm not going, uh…" Dojo mumbled, "ask her out."

"Why?"

It was difficult talking about it, so he looked off at the side; Komaki did the same, thinking it'd probably be easier for Dojo. There was a moment of silence as they both casually leaned on the wall of the school.

"I don't deserve it," Dojo said straightforwardly.

That caught Komaki off guard; he wasn't expecting that answer. The curiosity was almost overwhelming, but he kept silent and let Dojo continue.

"Komaki, do you remember that incident a few years ago? The one in the library, when Kasahara got sent to the hospital."

Komaki nodded slowly, starting to understanding where this conversation is going.

"S-she could've died, Komaki." Dojo slid his back down the wall and crouched down. "That time…", he made a pained expression. "That was my fault. And what happened yesterday in the bookstore…if something had happened…

"And why is that?" Komaki asked, his tone serious. "I understand that you feel responsible about what happened so many years ago, but none of that would be _your_ fault. It was just an unfortunate accident, right?"

"Yeah, but if I'd been with her that time-and same goes for yesterday too-if I'd gone to the bookstore with her in the first place…"

"Again with the 'what ifs'," Komaki sighed. "What happened in the past, is in the past. I'm not saying you should forget about it, but try to get over it. Don't let it affect your special relationship with her _now_."

"But-wait what? I just told you," Dojo looked up at him, "there's no _special_ relationship!"

"But you wish there is, don't you? A relationship beyond that of friends, classmates, or neighbours." He grinned teasingly when the blush returned on Dojo's face.

"I-I don't-"

"Tell the truth."

Refusing to reply, Dojo glanced down and started playing with his shoelaces. At last, he mumbled "_maybe_" very, very quietly. And because he was looking down, he missed the triumphed smirk that Komaki gave.

"Now, Dojo, that wasn't so difficult to say, was it?" His teasing tone was making Dojo even more unsettled.

"Y-You! You find this conversation amusing, don't you?!"

Proving Dojo's point, Komaki started snickering. "So…when are you gonna ask her out? You still have that one wish, don't you?"

Dojo shook his head. "I'm not going to use that. I don't want her to grant it; I want to grant it myself."

"Good."

Dojo ruffled his hair before looking back at him. "…How do you know so much anyway?"

Komaki smiled mysteriously. "I have my sources, and like one of Kasahara-san's close friends, I have quite an eye for observing people."

"I shouldn't have asked."

"By the way, Dojo, when you were thinking so deeply just now, the bell rang. We're late for class, so prepare for detention," he said in a cheery manner, despite the fact that he was also late.

[] [] []

Being late for class was an extremely rare occurrence for them, so Dojo's and Komaki's punishment were light. But for Iku, who was also late for some reason, her punishment was harsher, since it was about the tenth time she was late for class this month.

Komaki was given the simple task of cleaning the blackboard, while Iku and Dojo were asked to carry printouts and assignments to the staff room, and for Iku, she was also told to write a reflection for being late.

She grumbled to herself as they walked down the hallway. "Stupid punishments."

"It's your fault for being late. Stop complaining." Dojo wasn't happy about having to stay back afterschool to help out, and being alone with _her_ was making him a little uncomfortable. Especially after that conversation he just had with Komaki.

"Well, yeah, but-_woah-!_" The hallway was wet, and she didn't notice until it was too late. The printouts scattered all over the floor and she landed heavily. "Ow!"

"You blockhead!" Quickly putting down his pile, he checked to make sure she was alright. "How did you not see the 'wet floor' sign over there?!"

"If you saw it, why didn't you say anything?!"

He didn't answer her question when he saw her touch the side of her head. "Kasahara?"

"Ow. I think I somehow managed to hit my head on the wall when I fell." Pouting, she was about to get up when she noticed Dojo put his hand on her head where she had bumped it. "Dojo?"

Gently rubbing the side of her head, he sighed and mumbled, "What an idiot." He didn't say anything more, and Iku couldn't make a sound, not when he was so close all of a sudden.

She looked up in confusion as Dojo placed his hand on the wall beside her head, preventing her from escaping, which wasn't really necessary since all the strength left her legs anyway.

Unable to form any coherent thoughts, the only thing she could focus on was the decreasing distance between them. "Um, D-Dojo-?"

The slightly troubled expression he wore worried her, but it was the look in his eyes that really made her stop. He wasn't saying anything, just staring at her as if he was trying to read her thoughts. Iku gulped and broke the eye contact, looking off at the side as her fingers scrunched the edge of her sweater in nervousness. _Wha-what are we doing?! More importantly, what is _he_ doing?! T-Too close-!_

"Uh, Dojo, w-we h-have to get the printouts to the staff room-"

Her words were suddenly cut off as Dojo leaned forward. And for some reason he'll probably never understand, he kept leaning forward until the distance between their lips were gone. Iku's train of thoughts disappeared as her mind went completely blank.

Despite having her back pressed against the wall, he wasn't being forceful at all. But something about the way he suddenly acted, it seemed like-_Wh-what was that word again?_

It wasn't until a sudden announcement came over the P.A. system that Dojo suddenly realized what he was doing. He pulled back abruptly and stood up. "Ah-", he muttered, "S-Sorry."

Unable to bring himself to look at her in fear of seeing her expression, he left as quickly as possible, taking the fastest route out of the school.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

_Smack-!_

"Iku, what's going on up there?!" Her mother started to get a little worried. Ever since she'd returned from school, Iku was acting very, very out of character.

"I-It's nothing, mom, everything's fine!"

Despite the reply, she still couldn't help but worry. _Her face was red; maybe a fever? I'll go check on her later._

Upstairs in her room, Iku sigh again in the dark, rubbing her forehead where she'd smacked it on the wall. The curtains were drawn closed just in case Dojo had already returned home. The last thing she needs is to see the person who caused this mess in the first place.

Her mind was spinning in circles, going from one thought to another, only to repeat over and over again.

Something about the way he suddenly acted, it seemed…_desperate? N-No, no. This is Dojo we're talking about! Then…impulsive? No, that's not the right word either!_ She hit her head against the wall again in frustration. Glancing at the drawn curtains over her window, she sighed. _Why?! Why would he do that? It wasn't impulsive or recklessness or something, it seemed like…_

"Seems like Dojo was holding back for quite a while, huh?"

The unexpected voice jolted her from her thoughts and she whirled around to see Shibasaki at her door, arms crossed with a confident smile.

"S-Shibasaki! H-How long have you been here?" _She didn't see me mumbling to myself, did she?_

"Quite a while, actually. How's your head, by the way? It seems like you hit it on the wall quite hard. You might even lose a couple of your already limited brain cells if you're not careful."

Iku grumbled incoherently and sat on her bed, hiding her blush behind a pillow, before Shibasaki's words sunk in. "Wait, what did you say? W-What did you mean by…holding back?"

Something about her friend's smile told her that maybe, just maybe, it'd be better not to know. But her curiosity got the better of her.

"I'm talking about that kiss in the hallway, Kasahara."

Iku felt her face heating up all the way to her ears. _H-How does she know that?!_

Grabbing a nail file from her pocket and sitting down, Shibasaki nonchalantly continued. "Tezuka saw you guys." She sniggered, "Poor guy. When I met him afterwards, his face was all red and he was stuttering non-stop. You'd never expect that kind of reaction from someone like him."

"H-He s-" _He saw us?! …how embarrassing…_

"It was only a matter of time before Dojo took action. But still," Shibasaki glanced at Iku, who was still hiding her face behind the pillow, "I didn't think he'd have the guts to do that in school. Good for him."

"Wh-what do you mean 'only a matter of time'?!

"Well, he's liked you since way back in elementary. You just didn't notice though; everyone else did."

"H-Huh? _That_ long?! W-why would you think that?" _There's no way that's possible!_

"He gave you the silent treatment for a while, didn't he? That was cause he was jealous that some other guy was about to confess to you." She paused and played with her hair. "Actually, Dojo himself might not have been aware of his own feelings back then. But that doesn't matter much now anyways."

Iku stared at her with her face bright red as Shibasaki continued talking.

"Wait, now that I think about it, it was right before you got into that accid-" Shibasaki quickly covered her mouth. _Ah, Kasahara doesn't remember about that, since she lost her memories from that time…_

"Shibasaki?" The sudden pause confused Iku.

"Hm?" She glanced up at her innocently.

"Weren't you saying something?" Iku, realizing that her throat was dry from nervousness, picked up her drink from the table.

"Was I?"

"Uh-yeah-"

"Anyways, before I forget to tell you…Tezuka wasn't the only one who saw that lovely scene back in the school."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Iku dramatically choke on her drink, spraying orange juice on the carpet. "W-w-wh-_who else saw_?!"

Shibasaki smirked. _What a predictable reaction._ "Oh, you know…just some other people." Looking away from Iku, she noticed the curtains covering the window. "Kasahara, it's not dark out yet, so why don't I open the curtains for you?" Gracefully getting up, she reached for the curtains.

"N-N-NOO!"

When Shibasaki pulled them away from the window, Iku noticed Komaki and Dojo on the balcony across from them. Shibasaki and Komaki's eyes met and she smiled way too innocently while opening the window. "Oh my, what a coincidence!"

Iku scowled. _'Coincidence?' This is obviously planned!_ Dojo seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Komaki glanced at his watch. "Oh, Shibasaki-san, isn't it time we get going? We're keeping Tezuka and Nakazawa-san waiting."

Iku peeked at Dojo from the corner of her eye, and looked away a second later, her blush getting darker. He was deliberately looking away from her. _For some reason, that kinda hurts my feelings…b-but it's not like I _want_ him to pay attention to me-_ahh_, what am I thinking?!_

A pat on her shoulder snapped her out of her thoughts, and she looked up to see Shibasaki grinning at her. "Well, Kasahara, I'll get going now." Turning away from Komaki and Dojo, she discreetly whispered, "Don't mess it up."

Iku's eyes widened. _Wh-what?! _"Wait! Where are you going?!" She sent her a silent plea with her eyes, _Don't leave me here alone!_

Pretending not to notice, Shibasaki said, "I'm going with Komaki to meet up with Tezuka and Marie-chan to work on a project. So, I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

Meanwhile, Komaki was giving Dojo similar advice. "This is your chance, Dojo. Clear up any misunderstandings without creating any new ones," he mumbled. He smiled. "Good luck!"

The two barely had time to respond before Shibasaki and Komaki left, leaving them awkwardly standing by themselves.

Iku's back was facing Dojo, but she could still feel his stare. _Ahhh! This is awkward…!_

"Kasahara."

_Since when has his voice been that deep?_ She wondered. _It seems different somehow-_ suddenly straightening up, she could feel her hands shaking and face burning. _What the heck am I thinking?!_

Iku turned her head a little so she that she's somewhat facing him, but not looking at him. "D-D-Dojo…I-I gotta go! Seeyoulater!"

"K-Kasahara-!" He sighed. Even if she did stay, what was he going to say to her anyway?

[] [] []

There was only two more minutes until class began, and Iku was currently hiding in the janitor's closet.

Because she couldn't sleep, she left the house earlier than usual in an attempt to avoid him. During the night, she'd convinced herself that she'd walk into class like nothing had happened, and maybe continue to stay clear of Dojo for a while longer. Until she sorted out her feelings first.

But as soon as she was about to open the classroom door, she'd chickened out and ran away. _What if Dojo comes in a few minutes later?! It'll be so awkward._

Her first instinct was to hide in another classroom, or somewhere she can be alone. And the first room she chose happened to be the closet. _Ugh, smart move, Iku. _

Sitting in there for ten minutes, she'd decided to walk into class during the last minute. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her back, smoothed out the creases in her clothes, and walked out of the closet ignoring the strange looks she received.

_30 more seconds until the bell._ She waited until the last five seconds, and went in just as the bell rang, signaling the beginning of class.

"Kasahara! You're almost late!"

Iku glanced up at the booming voice and saw Genda standing in front of the class. _Huh? Why is _he_ here? We don't have P.E. today._ But the thing that caught her off guard was the evil smirk Genda gave her.

She mumbled an apology and quickly sat down, ignoring the stares Shibasaki and Komaki were giving her and the quick sideways glance from Dojo.

Genda's eyes fell on Shibasaki and Komaki, and for a second, Iku thought she saw an evil glint in his eyes. "Alright, class!" Iku flinched. _Does he really need to raise his voice in such a tiny classroom?!_

"Orikuchi, I mean, Orikuchi-sensei isn't here today, so _I'm_ in charge now!" He crossed his arms and laughed. "She left us a lesson plan, but we'll do that later!"

Tezuka slowly raised up his hand. "Sensei, it's our responsibility to complete the work Orikuchi-sensei left for us, so-"

"Oh, nevermind about that!" Genda interrupted. "Y'all look so tired! Let's start today with a free gym period!" Ignoring the protests and murmuring among the rest of the class, Genda discreetly looked at Shibasaki, and her head dropped slightly in a nod.

She looked around at her classmates. "Having P.E. in the morning isn't such a bad idea." Shibasaki smiled brilliantly, "Right?"

Immediately the boys in the class got up, saying things like "Of course Shibasaki-san is right," or "Let's head to the change room." Within seconds, the class was empty. The only ones remaining were Shibasaki, Tezuka and Genda at the front of the classroom. Komaki and Dojo were still seated at the back.

Meanwhile, Iku was getting dragged down the hallway by Marie, who held her wrist in a death grip. The normally timid girl was surprisingly strong, Iku realized, as she was dragged in the opposite direction as to where the rest of the class went.

"W-wait, Marie-chan!"

Marie stopped suddenly, and stared up at Iku. "Kasahara-san, everyone's worried about you."

"H-Huh?" Iku froze. She wasn't expecting to hear something like this.

"Because you and Dojo aren't talking to each other." Marie hesitated, frowning in concern for her friend. "Aren't you two best friends?"

"B-Best friends?!" Well, that was new. Iku had always considered Dojo to be…_what?_ She froze. _Friends? But we argue all the time! Neighbour? That seems a little conservative… What is Dojo to me?_

Before this, Iku had never thought about the relationship between her and Dojo. All she knew was that it was just natural for them to always be together…_and why is that?_

She looked back at Marie, who was still waiting for an answer. "But…but best friends don't-" Her face flushed red as soon as she realized what she was about to say, and she covered her face in bashfulness. _Best friends don't randomly kiss each other like that!_

By this time, Marie knew she wasn't going to get a straight-forward answer. Acting tired and leaning against the wall, she whispered, "Kasahara-san, I'm not feeling too well. Could you go get my bag from my locker for me?"

"E-Eh?!" Iku looked at her, worried. "Should I bring you to the office to lie down?"

"N-No." Marie weakly waved a hand at her. "I think I'm just going to go home. But I need my bag-"

"Alright then." After gently guiding her to the ground, Iku sprinted towards the classroom.

[] [] []

Leaning against the wall casually, Komaki asked, "So you're just going to leave things the way they are? Are you sure that's what you want?"

Dojo didn't look at his friend, and instead stared at the ground, trying to ignore the ache in his chest. "Wh-what else could I do?"

They were the only ones remaining in the classroom after Genda and Shibasaki left, and Komaki took this opportunity to pry into his best friend's business.

"Right now, Kasahara-san is obviously in a state of confusion." He stated bluntly. "Especially after that kiss."

Whipping his head around, Dojo stuttered, "H-H-How did you know about that?!"

"Don't worry about that right now." Komaki shook his head slightly, "If you let things go on like this, she might even never talk to you again…"

Dojo stared at him like he'd never considered that possibility. He took a deep breath, and turned, rushing towards the door.

"She's probably near the gym! Go down stairwell #2, it's the fastest way there!" Komaki yelled as he left.

Although he was running as if his life depended on it, he honestly had no idea what to say to her. The fact that she was avoiding him-_that means rejection, right?_ _I'm such an idiot._ He scolded himself, again and again. _If I could take back what I did, that would be great. I wish-wait…_

Slowing down, his eyes widened as he remembered the wishes Iku had made. A few years ago, he'd given her 3 wishes. Because of the accident, she'd forgotten that she had already made a 3rd wish, so he gave her another chance.

The first time she made the 3rd wish, it had been though a note.

_'For my 3rd and final wish, I want a smile. A real one, not one of those stupid fake smiles. If you don't, you're gonna get frown lines when you get older, idiot! Chibi!'_

The second time, she'd had said it directly to him after the incident with the MBC…

_"I want Dojo to give me a smile."_

…then she'd repeated it again with another note.

Stopping completely in the middle of the hallway, he sighed. That was a_ll she wanted. And look what's happening now._ After Iku had offered to grant him one wish, he'd decided not to use it, but now he was reconsidering. _What if-_

As he neared the stairway, a girl rushed past him. It was Iku.

"Kasahara!"

Iku nearly stumbled, reflexively turning around at the sound of her name. When she realized it was Dojo, she froze for a split second before instincts took over.

"Kasahara!" Grabbing her arm, Dojo stopped her from running away. "Wait!" He took a deep breath, and said, almost desperately, "You still owe me one wish, remember?!"

_Gah! Why is he bringing that up now?!_ Deliberately looking away from him, she kept her eyes on the wall.

"Look, I'm sorry…if I made you feel uncomfortable." Although she couldn't see his expression, she could tell from his tone of voice that he was truly sorry. _But I'm not avoiding him because I'm upset…I just don't know how I'm supposed to face him!_

"And about that wish…I, uh-I just wish things can go back the way they were before. This might be a really selfish request, but if you can just stop avoiding me-" He paused. "That's all I'm asking for."

Her face was completely flushed. _Ugh Iku, why are you just standing there?! Say something, you idiot!...but what should I say…?_

His grip loosened, but she didn't run away like she'd planned to. "K-Kasahara-?"

_'Attention, people! Dojo Atsushi, report to the staff room. Dojo report to the staff room _right now!'

Suddenly feeling annoyed at the interruption, he scowled. It was Genda's voice. _Geez, why now?!_

He glanced at Iku, who was still avoiding eye contact and felt another wave of guilt. Letting go of her arm, he left without another word.

[] [] []

_"Dojo, man up!"_ Genda shouted as soon as he entered the staff room. His arms were crossed, and he stood next to Tezuka who was, for some reason, sitting at the control board for the P.A. system. Shibasaki was sitting comfortably on an office chair, one leg crossed over the other.

"Dojo!" Shibasaki sighed. "That's not what you were supposed to say to her!"

At that moment, he realized his every movement was being monitored, by his so-called friends and his teacher. "Y-y-you were listening to our conversation?!"

"That's not really a conversation; you were the only one talking the entire time." Shibasaki answered immediately.

"T-That's not the point here!" Dojo's face was completely red. "H-How did you even hear-"

"Oh, we had Komaki and Marie-chan lead you guys to the stairwell, cause Genda planted a bug there."

There was complete silence in the room as Dojo stared at them. "_What?_ That's a violation of privacy!"

The door opened and Komaki came in, smiling. "Dojo, don't worry about the little things."

Dojo scowled deeply. _These people really don't know the definition of 'privacy'._

"Dojo!" Genda shouted. "If you had the guts to kiss a girl in the middle of the hallway, then use that courage and _ask her out_! Don't tell her to pretend nothing happened! Are you a coward?!"

Tezuka stuttered although he wasn't saying anything, and the hint of pink on his cheeks before had deepened. Seeing his innocent reaction, Shibasaki couldn't help but smile and resist the urge to make fun of him.

This time, Dojo didn't even bother to ask _why_ or _how_ they knew everything. Giving each of them a final glare, he stomped out of the room. The rest of them stared at his retreating figure as Marie timidly entered the room and stood beside Komaki, who smiled gently at her.

Shibasaki stood up. "Huh, I never expected it to backfire. We need a new plan."

[] [] []

"Hey, Iku." Her eldest brother, Dai, barged into her room rudely that evening. "What did he do?"

She flinch from the unexpected question. He was talking about Dojo. After bumping into him at the stairs, she'd skipped school for the rest of the day. There was no way she could face him properly after that.

"W-w-what do you m-mean?!" Laughing nervously, she kept her back towards her brother as she 'continued doing homework'.

"When I was coming back from work, I bumped into him in front of the house. He told me to tell you he said 'sorry'. And he looked guilty as hell when he said that."

_I'm such an idiot._ She put her head down on the table. _Because I keep avoiding him, I'm making him misunderstand._

"So what happened?" Although Dai was trying to keep his tone neutral, she could tell from the way he kept asking that he was worried about her. Since he was the eldest child in the family, he could be overprotective at times. "What did he do to you, Iku?"

"It's n-nothing. He d-didn't do anything." She pressed her pencil on the paper with so much force, the lead snapped off. The stutter had betrayed her attempt to appear calm.

"Huh." Her horrible attempt at lying was seen through immediately, and he knew he had find another method if he wanted an answer. "Well, since he didn't do anything, I'm think I'm just gonna go over to his house and maybe have a chat-"

"Ahhh-!" Quickly jumping out of his seat, Iku grabbed on to her brother, making sure he wouldn't take a step out of the room. _Oh…great,_ she thought when she realized she fallen for it._ How could I be so stupid?_

Suddenly her 2nd brother poked his head in. "What's going on, bro? Iku?" He took one look at her and started panicking. "Whoa! W-why are you crying?! Bro, what'd you do?!"

Dai looked both annoyed and worried as his little sister started wiping her tears on the back of his shirt. "I didn't do anything. If you wanna blame someone, go blame that Dojo."

He looked back up at his older brother, finally understanding what was going on. Unlike Iku, they'd both realized Dojo's feelings a long time ago.

Iku barely paid attention to them, and instead immersed herself in her own thoughts. _Why am I crying? Because I'm confused?-I don't even know. How do I even feel about Dojo? _

_He made his wish already; does that mean I have to grant it? If everything were to go back to normal, we'd walk to and from school together, argue with each other, use wrestling moves on each other during gym, talk to each other from our windows…as friends._

"I don't want things to go back to normal."

Her brothers stopped panicking and looked at her in surprise. It took even Iku a moment to process what she'd just said out loud. Wiping her tears on the back of her hand, she mumbled again, "I don't want things to go back to the way they were."

Looking up at her brothers' confused expression, she said, "Can I ask you two something?"

[] [] []

_How much longer is this going to last?_ Dojo asked himself as he walked to school alone. By now, he was really regretting what he did. _Why didn't I just control myself?! Now things aren't ever going back to the way they were! Atsushi, you idiot!_

For the first time, he realized how lonely it was walking to school alone. Sure, once in a while, he'd leave without Iku, but this was different; knowing that because of him, things might never go back to the way it was.

He heard the footsteps a few seconds before he felt a warm hand slip through his. He blinked a couple of times, not believing his eyes. "…Kasahara?"

She was breathing deeply and her face was pink, like she had sprinted to catch up with him. Iku glanced at him and quickly resisted the urge to turn away. "J-Just so you know, I have no intention of granting that wish! None at all!"

Her hand was gripping his tightly and it didn't seem like she was going to let go anytime soon.

"And," she continued, her blush getting deeper, "you don't have to apologize for anything; like the k-k-kiss in the hallway, or the accident five years ago-y-you don't need to apologize! In fact, I don't _want_ you to apologize!"

That was unexpected. "Kasahara, you…remember that? The accident?"

"Uh-well, not really. But last night, I made my brothers give me the details." Dojo made a guilty expression, and she quickly reassured him. "But I'm okay, really. And it's not your fault at all, so stop blaming yourself!"

A few seconds passed without either of them saying anything, not even when Dojo gently patted the top of her head, something he didn't do in a long time.

Even though it was just a simple pat, Iku realized she had really missed it.

[] [] []

"Alright people, is Plan B ready?!" Genda shouted. Shibasaki nodded.

Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she smiled at the rest of them. "Yesterday, our plan didn't work out the way it was supposed to, but with this-" she held up the plan, "There's no way we can fail."

Off at the side, Tezuka was starring at her with a blank expression, trying to calculate the actual rate of success with the plan. Marie sat nervously in her chair. Behind her, Komaki glanced out the window, and froze. "Shibasaki-san…we can forget about that Plan B. We don't need it anymore."

"Hm?" She followed his gaze, and saw Iku and Dojo walking towards the school together. "Wait…" Her eyes focused on their hands, which were linked together.

As the rest of them smiled at the sight, Shibasaki sighed a little. Failure was something she wasn't used to, and twice in a row…

But seeing the look on Iku's face in the distance, she smiled. _Well, at least they look happy._

[] [] []

Except for the whistles and cheers from their classmates in the morning, the next few classes was uneventful. During lunch, Shibasaki dragged Iku to the side, forcing her to tell her all the details.

When Dojo and Komaki returned to the classroom after buying their lunch, Shibasaki nudged Iku in the ribs, grinning evilly. "He seems more cheerful today, doesn't he?"

"What do you mean? He's the same as usual." Iku gave her a strange look, "Today, during homeroom, he hit me on the head for getting a question wrong."

Shibasaki sighed, exasperated. "That's not what I meant. And you deserved that smack on the head; it was a grade-school level question."

Iku pouted, then noticed Marie walking over to them. She smiled cheerfully at Iku. "Congratulations!"

"T-Thanks." Her friends grinned when her face turned red again.

Before they joined Dojo, Komaki and Tezuka on the other side of the classroom, Marie said something unexpected. "Kasahara-san, have you noticed?"

Iku tilted her head sideways. "Noticed what?"

"Since you and Dojo started dating, he's been smiling more often."

Iku smiled. _Eh, Marie-chan thinks so too?_ She looked back at Dojo.

_They're right, though._


End file.
